1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly to a ride on toy vehicle with a combined seat and compression device for simply yet interactively actuating an incorporated sound effects unit when a user bounces up and down on the combined seat and compression device. The invention also relates to a method for engaging and actuating a sound effects unit in a ride on toy vehicle.
2. Background of the Invention
There are many known ride on toys which incorporate biasing elements for supporting and moving a seat member and some include sound devices to enhance the play experience of a user. Engaging the biasing elements and activating the sound devices can be accomplished through many known mechanisms, some of which are incorporated into the same toy, but none of which work to activate each other.
There are several known ride on toys which include a heavy duty spring, spring arch, or spring loaded hydraulic air piston secured to a seat member for raising and lowering the seat member in use, as exemplified and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,572,190 B2, issued Aug. 11, 2009 to Habling and U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,145 B1 issued Mar. 29, 2005 to Boudreaux et al. Most of the above described toys are known to be used in seesaw and seesaw like playground equipment. The seat member is pivotally attached to a frame and supported in a generally horizontal position by the heavy duty spring or hydraulic air piston, or similarly supported in a generally horizontal position by the spring arch. The user may bounce up and down on the seat as the frame of the toy is secured in a stationary position. However, the spring arch is known to include wheels mounted to an end opposite the seat for propelling the toy forward as the user bounces on the seat.
Another known ride on toy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,672 B1, issued Mar. 18, 2003 to Keller et al., simulates a seesaw is shown to include a biasing arm secured to a supporting base with a seat secured to the arm at an end opposite the supporting base. The arm is rotatably and pivotably coupled to the base and includes an arm biasing spring connected to the base to bias the arm to the upright position. A resilient ball is attached to the seat for contacting the ground surface as a user sits on the seat and swings around or bounces off the ground.
Another known ride on toy disclosed in US Patent Publication No. US 2009/0098520 A1, published Apr. 16, 2009 to Wilson, includes a training device used for teaching proper dressage riding postures and is also seen to include a resilient ball for contacting the ground surface and upon which a rider would sit. The ball is shaped to emulate the back of a horse and includes blocks attached to the surface of the ball where the user sits to emulate a dressage saddle for teaching the rider proper leg and arm flexion and extension for dressage style riding.
Another ride on toy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,307 issued Sep. 15, 1981 to Marchall, Jr. et al, is seen to include a toy horse suspended on a frame by springs secured on both left and right sides of the horse. The horse can move both vertically and horizontally with respect to the frame and includes a sound device for playing prerecorded horse sounds when bounced. Several motion sensitive switches are positioned within the toy horse and orientated in different directions for sensing the vertical and horizontal movements of the horse. Also included are devices for digitally forming audio frequency signals and controlling the envelope of the audio frequency signals to obtain and select the various prerecorded gait and snorting sounds which appropriately correspond to the present movement of the toy horse as a user bounces on the horse.
Additionally, a large mountable stuffed toy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,820 issued Dec. 24, 1991 to Nakayama, is seen to include a stuffed body shaped like a horse or car, etc. and containing a main switch secured to a sound/vibration generator disposed within. When a load is applied to the main switch the sound/vibrator is turned on to vibrate at least a part of the stuffed toy and to generate a sound. Additionally, remote switches are positioned in strategic parts of the stuffed toy, i.e. the horses reins, ears, and crop, etc, and electrical wiring corresponding to each remote switch runs from each switch to the sound/vibration unit to activate the remote switches when each is individually pressed from the outside of the toy, at the reins, ears, and crop, etc., for altering the vibrators vibration and the sounds generated.
Another deformable toy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,885, issued Oct. 6, 1998 to Goldman, et al., includes a sound device contained within a body and actuated when external pressure is applied to the body. A pressure transmitting medium fills the body and an actuator including a piezoelectric transducer and plunger within the body responds to pressure transmitted through the medium by deforming the body to shift the plunger, thus stressing the transducer to signal the toy circuitry for altering the sounds played back from the sound reproducing device of the toy.
Significantly, known toys do not include a combined seat and compression device which simply yet interactively actuates an incorporated sound effects unit when the seat is bounced up and down on by a user. It would be desirable to provide a seat movable between first and second positions combined with a deformable compression device biasing the seat to the first position and interactively activating the incorporated sound effects unit as the seat is moved from the first position to the second position when the compression device is depressed.